Colqui’s Confidence

Five years ago, when I asked Dustin if he knew anyone who could plow and seed my 40-acre field, I wasn’t expecting him to say his ten-year-old son, Colqui. With a little help from his grandpa, Colqui drove a huge John Deere Tractor around my field, and while all the rows weren’t perfectly straight, the prairie grass he planted is still feeding my horses.

Last week, when I asked Dustin if he knew anyone who could dig post holes into my frozen ground, I should have known the answer: Colqui, now age 15. This time, he didn’t need any adult supervision. He was completely confident operating this complex piece of heavy machinery. In the picture, you can see him in the driver’s seat with his brother Gus, who came to clean out the holes after he drilled them. I shook my head in amazement as they worked into the night and then drove this huge front-loader back to town.

I am continually impressed by how much responsibility children are given in this rural community. A few weeks ago, two 13-year-old boys who worked at the local garage after school changed the tires on my diesel truck. As they grinned at me through grease-smeared faces, I felt like asking, “Shouldn’t you be home playing on your Xbox”? Either out of necessity or by design, parents here expect their kids to do big things early in life.

Helping leaders trust and empower their less experienced employees is a constant challenge in my executive coaching. This is particularly common in big companies where the fear of making mistakes seems more pronounced and causes leaders to hold back and give challenging assignments only to their most proven, tenured performers. I say put the “youngsters” behind the wheel! They may need a little closer oversight at first, but you will be amazed at what they can accomplish and the confidence they will gain.